Red hind
Epinephelus guttatus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Description:
Body strong and stout, with a large mouth. Body whitish with reddish spots. Five faint diagonal bars formed by darker spots on the sides. No spots on tail or dorsal fin. Can pale or darken. Tail and rear fins have black margin edged in white.
Size up to 76 cm.
Habitat:
Found in shallow reefs and rocky bottoms, between 3 and 50 m. Usually solitary and territorial. Feeds mainly on crabs and other crustaceans, fish and octopuses that are drawn into their gullets by a powerful suction created when they open their large mouths. Held securely by thousands of small, rasp-like teeth that cover the jaws, tongue and palate, the prey is swallowed whole. Groupers are hermaphroditic, beginning life as females, but changing to males with maturity. Some undergo sexual inversion at a length of 28 cm. Fish larger than 40 cm are males.
Distribution:
Occasional Florida and Bahamas, common Caribbean.